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Personal View: Quality of life is Irelands top draw

MANY factors contribute to Ireland’s attractiveness for inward investment, including our political and economic stability, a competitive tax regime and a highly skilled and productive workforce. Much less publicised and undervalued is the “quality of life” factor.

There are many locations in the world that can offer equal, if not better, cost environments than Ireland, as well as skilled labour pools. But for American companies at least, the factor that often sways the investment decision in Ireland’s favour is the clean, green and wholesome quality of life image we have projected successfully over the years.

Reality is now falling some way short of the image, however. Traffic gridlock, environmental despoliation, as proved by this week’s European Union fining of local councils over waste disposal, the crisis in the health service, illegal dumping, lack of education infrastructure in expanding towns and rising house prices. The list goes on and on.